Cliché Beginnings

Nicolas Pearson

The night's already fast approaching but I'm far from finishing this thing they call moving in. It also sucks that I'm alone at this ill-lighted, 500 sq. ft. apartment with no installed gas tank and no working appliances. 'You have to eat', my stomach is screaming at me but mind's all about shutting all my senses and letting the fatigue of today take over. I laid in my makeshift bed or should I say at the pile of clothes and blankets near the window and closed my eyes, only to realize that there's throbbing pain in between my eyebrows. Fuck being independent. Who said it'll be very liberating to move into your own apartment before college? Heck not.

When I opened my eyes, the sun's already shining blindingly which reminds me, I should probably put my curtain up today. My apartment building is four floors high with my room being at the second. There's nothing much to see below considering that this is practically the suburb. There are a lot of typical residential houses with well-kept lawns and cute, red mailboxes but again, there's nothing more to it.

I trudged onto the kitchen, finally succumbing to my hunger, searching for the most staple food that would help me last a day only to remember that I haven't gone grocery shopping. Great, another task on my imaginary to-do list. I sighed inwardly, getting frustrated with my ridiculous situation. I just want all these mess to be gone so I can begin doing the more important things but nothing's going my way. Dad already told me to stop by the grocery store before moving in but I just need to be freaking stubborn. He also mentioned starting with the kitchen so I can prepare meals in between unpacking but look at me being the obedient son, deciding to start with my clothes which I should mention is not even that much.

After a few more minutes of contemplating, I decided to give up and make my journey to everyone's favorite place, the grocery store which thankfully is not as far as I thought it will be, conveniently located just three stops away from my apartment and two stops more from the high school. Today being Thursday also helps as it wasn't crowded with people who are probably natives to this town and would wonder why a teenager is grocery shopping instead of studying at this time of the day. I walked all the way from the detergent aisle unto the furniture aisle, making sure to buy everything I need so I wouldn't need to go back until I run out of toothpaste. I am pleased by the peacefulness of this chore that as if there is no chaos awaiting back in my place.

"Welcome, do you have the savings card?" The cashier, a plump, light-skinned woman with brown curls and whose nametag says Mary, asked with that monotonous voice all tired grocery cashiers probably have.

"I don't."

"Will you be paying cash or card?"

"Cash."

She nodded once before starting to scan my items. It wasn't until the fifth one that she decided to start a small conversation. "You're new in town, are you?"

"Oh, did you grow up here?"

She actually smiled a little. "Not really." I shot her a confused look. "It was the hangers that gave it away."

"I see."

"and the trash bin." At that, I chuckled. Yeah, buying a trash bin and hangers at the same time doesn't really tell 'a passerby nor an existing neighbor'. "Welcome to the town. It's a quiet town but you'll enjoy it here. People are pretty open-minded specially kids your age."

Specially my age? That's pretty surprising. I would never peg teenagers like me to be open-minded. If not, this age is supposedly the most challenging to deal with. "Do I look that young?"

"16."

"Oh." So I do look my age.

"It's quiet surprising tho, that you're the one buying groceries."

"Yeah."

I didn't dare explain further. She seems harmless but telling someone you just met that you live alone only calls for danger. The amount of stuff I bought might've already implied so but she doesn't have to know that. Maybe on the tenth visit, when we're more familiar with each other and conversations just flow naturally, she'd finally know that it was my decision to live alone and choose a random town exactly 30 miles away from home with the aim of letting my fathers have the rest of their lives just enjoying each other's company instead of taking care of an adolescent child who's pretty much a personification of awkwardness.

The rest of the day was no more different than yesterday. I was preoccupied with the unpacking that I wasn't able to notice my phone's battery dying and the sun hiding to be replaced by the moon.

I've got two more days before I actually start school. It was actually the second week since it has started but I wasn't able to come up with my decision until three weeks ago so everything else was delayed as expected. Dad and Papa were reluctant to let me go as the only reason I gave them was that of gaining independence but nevertheless, they accepted it together with the inconvenience it offered. Dad did cry a lot when I left the other day, wanting to stay with me at least until the first day of classes but he has work and I insisted it's his priority. It wasn't really but he went with it. I was grateful that my parents were understanding and confident enough to let this child spread his wings. It is a bit early but when else is a better choice? It's all the same if it's the future we're talking about.